The Fleecing of Americans at WDW

[bab31]

I am glad I took my vacation to WDW this past January. We cant do WDW yearly...so sad ...but it is the economics of our family's income. I think it would have been harder to have done it this coming year because of the price changes.....

From the op I hear frustration about price increase, maybe said differently than on other threads.

 

[Tissa]

Yes I'm a poor American, I can only afford to fly SWA, stay at POP and buy my tickets from a discount broker. Poor me, I need the gubment to help get me into a deluxe at Christmas.

 

[Sammie]

There are many things in life that some can afford, and others can't. Disney vacations, especially deluxe accommidations are one of them.

Disney does not owe anyone, a vacation. They owe to their stockholders an effort to make money.

Many guests were spoiled by post 9-11 rates and discounts which were offered to fill empty rooms. Well those days are over, cheap gas is over, cheap anything is over.

If they can fill their rooms at these prices, then more power to them. If they can't you will see bargains again.

An Annual Pass guarantees you unlimited park admission for one year from purchase, it does not guarantee anything else.

Many people have never been to WDW, much less stay deluxe. I think some on these forums need a reality check.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Yeah -- That darn Disney -- Forcing people to stay and buy their products! Where's Ralph Nader when you REALLY need him?
Agree-- Troll alert.

 

[disneyfan67]

There are many things in life that some can afford, and others can't. Disney vacations, especially deluxe accommidations are one of them.

Disney does not owe anyone, a vacation. They owe to their stockholders an effort to make money.

Many guests were spoiled by post 9-11 rates and discounts which were offered to feel empty rooms. Well those days are over, cheap gas is over, cheap anything is over.

If they can fill their rooms at these prices, then more power to them. If they can't you will see bargains again.

An Annual Pass guarantees you unlimited park admission for one year from purchase, it does not guarantee anything else.

Many people have never been to WDW, much less stay deluxe. I think some of these forums need a reality check.

I have to say your post was a model of common sense and fairness, Sammie.

I agree with what your saying and just wanted to add something. I guess because Disney is an American Icon and is such a big part of people's lives growing up. It feels like something is being taken away from us when they keep pricing it out of some people's reach. Disney is just like any other corporation and some people (including me at times) forget that in our quest to visit their theme parks and experience the "Disney magic" we have heard about all our lives. It gets to be quite the let down when you finally realise that, even though you always knew it inside. Reality is always a let down, no matter how old you are.

People need to come to the terms that "Uncle Walt" died many years ago and it's time that the fantasy of Disneyland and WDW belonging to all of us, dies with the past as well.

It's a highly profitable business and the Disney corporation runs it as such.

 

[stepdisney]

$2.41? WOW. It's still $2.66 or so here in Kentucky.

I think the Trilateral Commission, which of course controls both Disney prices and all gasoline prices, is giving New Jerseyans a break, and it's being breaking the backs of us poor Kentuckians.

It's a fleecing alright!

NJ....

Highest property taxes and insurance in the country even with legalized Casino Gambling, Race Tracks and State Lottery....

We're livin' on Brokeback mountain.....

 

[G8r4evr]

You are going to blame Disney for the lousy dollar? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

My only other comment to consider changing your religion. You could be like me and absolutely not care what the prices are at Christmas.

I dont think anyone is blaming Disney for the lousy dollar. But fact is fact....the exchange rate favors international visitors, so logic says, international visitors probably have an easier time paying rack rates at the deluxes. As long as those rooms are full, Disney has no reason to offer more codes or lower prices.

It is what it is....

 

[Shasta]

Oh well. I put a quarter in the troll food dispenser and nothing came out.

 

[4mykids]

Do the ticket prices bother anyone else? I know Universal is a totally different place, but they are offering 7-day passes for $86. The Disney ticket prices are, IMHO, outrageous! Don't get me wrong . . . I LOVE Disney. I have only been to Universal one day and wished the entire time I was at Disney. We have been to WDW & DL about 30 times. But our trips are spread further and further out. I will be interested to see what happens to WDW ticket prices once the Harry Potter portion of Universal opens.

But to the original poster, the hotels are always more expensive around the peak seasons, EVERYWHERE, not just WDW. Supply and demand. That being said, my DH has sworn never to return to WDW as he feels someone grabs him by the ankles when he passes through the WDW gates, turns him upside down, and shakes him until all of his money has poured out. Once that is done, they release him into the wild! (Of course, I am going back at Labor Day using no-expire tickets!)

 

[Luv2Roam]

I think we all know places where we feel we are getting the shakedown on vacation.
Long before I was a Disneyholic I felt that way when we once went to Niagra Falls. I felt like everytime we saw someone or spoke we had to pay them $. Chicago is that way too. Costs money just to use the bathroom because an employee is in there trying to hand you a towel.

 

[Thumper1980]

Oh well. I put a quarter in the troll food dispenser and nothing came out.

You should ask for a refund!!

 

[mwoody1967]

Are you John Edwards???? A tale of two Disney's.

See this is what happens when a republican who is friends with Rush Limbaugh takes over Disney.


Disney was not expensive when liberals like Mike E. was in charge. They cared about the poor much more.

You can't be serious? If so then all I can say is spoken like a true idiot.

 

[deide71]

You can't be serious? If so then all I can say is spoken like a true idiot.

I think that was a joke...and a good one too !

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

Sammie--I think you hit it when you said people got used to vacationing at Disney during the discounts of 2001 and beyond.

It would be interesting to see how deluxe resorts priced out in 2000/2001 before the travel industry came to a halt. I wonder if people were this upset over the prices then? How many discounts were available then?

I think many, me included, got used to staying at the deluxe resorts and now it's hard for people to downgrade their vacations. We are very fortunate that we are able to stay where we choose and to this point we have always gotten an AP discount. I will say, we don't travel during Christmas or spring break. I don't think it's worth it to pay those prices just to be there during a particular time frame. I also didn't pay those rates post 9/11 when the discounts were steep and readily available. It's just a personal choice.

I think the prices the last few years have been artificially deflated and now we are seeing them pop back up to where they could have been long ago.

The recurring theme I see is that most people don't seem that upset with the values and the moderates. I think some are okay with some of the deluxe prices, depending on the resort and view. It seems to be a real problem when you get into the deluxe resorts at holiday time. That is a killer. I will be interested to see how the room occupancy goes next Christmas. I LOVE, LOVE Disney and will continue to go, but even I won't pay Christmas rates. That's okay, I'll continue to go in Oct., Feb., May, you get the picture.


Rachel

 

[mwoody1967]

I think that was a joke...and a good one too !

Thankgoodness.

 

[bavaria]

I dont think anyone is blaming Disney for the lousy dollar. But fact is fact....the exchange rate favors international visitors, so logic says, international visitors probably have an easier time paying rack rates at the deluxes. As long as those rooms are full, Disney has no reason to offer more codes or lower prices.

It is what it is....

and exchange rates fluctuate every year. Ask the Canadians who were paying $1.54 for many many years, and are now paying $1.05 for the first time in 30 years.

I suspect that I am the ONLY person posting on this thread who pays taxes in three different countries every year. Believe me, I know the cost of income taxes, healthcare, and other fees in many countries. My work also brings me all around the world.

Americans do pay a very low tax rate in relation to other common WDW visitors - ie Canadians, Brits, Germans, and other Europeans.

I know that I said that I was 'out' on this thread, but frankly the amount of whining here just sickens me lately, in particular as I just came back from an extended trip to India. There I met some of the kindest, most sincere people I have ever met. They had very little but were willing to give a stranger whatever they could.

I would far rather return to India than to WDW, if I am going to be surrounded by the same type of whining I am reading online lately.

 

[mwoody1967]

and exchange rates fluctuate every year. Ask the Canadians who were paying $1.54 for many many years, and are now paying $1.05 for the first time in 30 years.

I suspect that I am the ONLY person posting on this thread who pays taxes in three different countries every year. Believe me, I know the cost of income taxes, healthcare, and other fees in many countries. My work also brings me all around the world.

Americans do pay a very low tax rate in relation to other common WDW visitors - ie Canadians, Brits, Germans, and other Europeans.

I know that I said that I was 'out' on this thread, but frankly the amount of whining here just sickens me lately, in particular as I just came back from an extended trip to India. There I met some of the kindest, most sincere people I have ever met. They had very little but were willing to give a stranger whatever they could.

I would far rather return to India than to WDW, if I am going to be surrounded by the same type of whining I am reading online lately.

Since you would rather go to India than be with us at WDW I googled and found an airline ticket price for you for $1,067 flying from Canada to India. You can leave in the morning!

 

[bavaria]

Thanks, but I need from FRA - and Lufthansa just added a LOT more routes to India

And since the tone here lately makes it clear that 'foreigners' are not very welcome in WDW, I will be happy to go back to India, where I was welcomed with open arms.

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

Since you would rather go to India than be with us at WDW I googled and found an airline ticket price for you for $1,067 flying from Canada to India. You can leave in the morning!

Wow! That's a good price! A ticket from O'Hare to India next March is $1500.

I do understand what Bavaria is talking about. When we got back from Africa last year, it put many things in perspective. There are people who have NOTHING and yet they are some of the happiest people you would ever meet. It made me truly appreciate what we have and how we are lucky to live here. It just puts things in a different perspective. I think that's all Bavaria meant.


Rachel

 

[graygables]

Americans do pay a very low tax rate in relation to other common WDW visitors - ie Canadians, Brits, Germans, and other Europeans.

I know that I said that I was 'out' on this thread, but frankly the amount of whining here just sickens me lately, in particular as I just came back from an extended trip to India. There I met some of the kindest, most sincere people I have ever met. They had very little but were willing to give a stranger whatever they could.

I would far rather return to India than to WDW, if I am going to be surrounded by the same type of whining I am reading online lately.

As an American who grew up in Germany/Europe, I grew to appreciate the GLOBAL society/economy much more than most Americans. The level of American selfishness never ceases to amaze. Just look at our healthcare system: "Don't make *ME* pay for it!" while other countries are aghast that health care is not considered a basic need. We can subsidize the welfare recipient's cigarettes and pet food, but we can't help a self-employed person get life-saving chemotherapy.

WDW is expensive. Supply and demand. It isn't about little kiddies getting to spend Christmas at WDW, it's about lining the coffers and maintaining the financial health of the company for the stockholders (which I am NOT one). If you don't think it's "worth it" anymore, step aside, there's a line waiting who think it IS.